Legal Sea Foods Wants to Save Crabs - So They Can Kill Them (Video)

Legal Sea Foods, the Boston-based restaurant chain, has produced a series of commercials and print ads that start out as a message of conservancy and humanity...then turn to bloodshed (if crabs had blood, that is).

One ad starts all Greenpeace-like, with a crab preening itself by ocean waves. A voiceover says, "Save the crab. Save it to show that every creature is sacred, no matter how small. Or just save it so we can chop it up into tasty little crab cakes."

Similar commercials feature salmon and trout, all being praised for their wild beauty...and tastiness.

The company obviously knows it's pushing the buttons of animal rights activists and conservationists. They say they focused on three types of sea dwellers that have ample fishing stocks as the stars of the tongue-in-cheek spots.

Legal Sea Foods president and CEO Roger Berkowitz said, "Sure, people

may jump to the conclusion that we're being flip about the topic, but

it's quite the opposite. This is a debate we need to have. We need to

constantly question where fish comes from and how it was caught and,

moreover, demand more from those tasked with protecting the fish

supply."

Speaking of Greenpeace, seems as if they're not amused at all. According to USA Today,

John Hocevar, director of Greenpeace Oceans, said, "Ironically, the

trout sold by Legal Sea Foods is farmed and has never seen a

golden brook or sunlit stream. The choice isn't between putting fish on a

pedestal or eating them,

it's between reforming the way we produce our seafood or irrevocably

degrading

our oceans."

What are your thoughts? Are these commercials funny

or cringe worthy? Should salmon be revered for their beauty or how they